One of the hardest things about moving across the country is finding new hairdressers, dry cleaners, coffee shops (whoops don’t have one of those here), grocery stores, and so on. I thought I’d found a great salon. And then…

There are some things that you just cannot make up.

I walked into my beauty parlor aka Aveda Salonwearing a special shoe protecting my broken toe that I’m telling everyone I broke it two-steppin’ at the Broken Spoke Saloon. That got my stylist talking about her finger and how she didn’t think it was just jammed but broken too.

Me: How did you break it?

Stylist: I punched my husband. Broke three of his ribs too.

Me: Uh. I guess that’s the end of things.

Stylist: No. I just got tired of him breaking things around the house when he gets stressed. But at least he replaces them.

If this happened in Texas, I think she would have pulled a gun on him. Put an end to him breaking things for good.

Anyway, I think I’ll continue my search for a salon. What if this guy decides he’s had enough of her and decides to come into the salon while she’s working on my hair…

Maybe it’s time for Aveda to provide its stylists with training about what’s TMI!

The part about The Broken Spoke — it’s made up. I really broke my toe by running into a chair.

Or, how to leave Austin and love living far away in a small town.

I can’t say I’ve mastered it. Or, that I’m close to loving the small town The Professor and I moved to. But, there are things about it that I do love. And many things I like.

Moving away from Austin wasn’t my first choice. Or second. However, it was the best choice we had at the time. The novelty of the move wore off about 6 months into it — 5 of those months being cold and cloudy. Then, the permanence of the move hit me like a snow shovel. In the head.

After which came the complaining.

There’s no good coffee shop. None. Don’t these people know what a grocery store is supposed look like? Where’s my big, blue sky? Mexican food — forget it. When does the sun shine? In July? When will I get to turn on my air conditioner?

Then the comparing. It’s when I compare Austin with the small town we live in. And you can guess which place wins my comparison competition every time.

The sun shines about 500% more in Austin than it does here. The drivers are friendlier in Austin. The produce is fresher. The Austin running club has soul; the one here … Blah blah blah.

It’s definitely not the way to win friends.

Somehow I misplaced the mindset I came here with: that life’s an exciting and fun adventure; enjoy it!

Knowing my thoughts and behavior weren’t serving me, and were most likely off-putting to other people, I decided to come up with some rules to survive a move from a cool city to a small town. After all, I’ll be here for at least several more years.

Use the rubber band technique to quit yer complain' and comparin'

Then I thought these are rules that can apply to just about any change in life! Follow these rules and you won’t just survive, you’ll blossom.

4 Rules You Must Follow to Survive Change

Quit complaining. Just quit. Period. You won’t be able to stop overnight, so wear a rubber band on your wrist, and when the whining begins, snap the band. Ouch! It’s reminder to quit yer complainin’!

Be positive. Every morning and every evening write down one thing — just one thing — you love, like or appreciate about your new situation. You can find them. They are right in front of you. Even little things like the colorful tulips that pop up overnight. Or, how the bakery on Main Street is right out of 1961 and oh so cool!

Be patient. Time goes slowly in a small town. It feels like it anyway. Enjoy it. When you’ve made a big switch in your life, it’s natural to want everything to fit into place right away. It won’t happen on your timeline. Enjoy the process and practice patience.

Stop comparing. It’s deadly. Women, especially, are good at making comparisons that end up making us feel like crap. It’s a waste. If you find yourself doing it, see #1 and use rubber band technique.

I know there will come a day when I have to leave this town. And I probably won’t want to because I’ll have fallen in love with it and its people. I’ll just have to tell myself: Life’s an exciting and fun adventure; enjoy it!

What about you? Do you have some change survival methods? Please do tell!

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